Modular accessory apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and methods for modular accessory apparatus are disclosed herein. The modular accessory apparatus may include a first accessory and a second accessory. The first accessory may be attached to a piece of clothing. The second accessory may be placed on the piece of clothing and coupled to the first accessory.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a nonprovisional of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/021,039, filed on Jul. 4, 2014, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

Aspects of the disclosure relate to modular accessory apparatus. Specifically, the disclosure relates to modular accessory apparatus that includes modular accessories.

BACKGROUND

Clothing manufacturers often manufacture clothing with one or more accessories. Typically, these manufacturers fixedly attach the accessories to the pieces of clothing. However, some consumers are not satisfied with accessories provided. These customers desire additional accessories on the pieces of clothing to further enhance their fashion image.

It would be desirable, therefore, to provide apparatus and methods for attaching one or more accessories to a piece of clothing. This is desirable at least because it provides consumers with the ability to alter their clothing's appearance in accordance with their taste and/or the latest style without the need to purchase a new piece of clothing.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Apparatus and methods for modular accessory apparatus are provided. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include a piece of clothing, a first accessory and a second accessory. In some embodiments, the first accessory may be fixedly attached to the piece of clothing. Placement of the second accessory adjacent to the first accessory may fix the location of the second accessory with respect to the piece of clothing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows an elevation view of apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2A shows an elevation view of apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2B shows a bottom plan view of apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2C shows a top plan view of apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIGS. 2D-2E show perspective views of apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2F shows a top plan view of apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2G shows a bottom plan view of apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows both elevation and perspective views of apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows an elevation view of apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 6 shows an elevation view of apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention; and

FIG. 7 shows an elevation view of apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Apparatus and methods for modular accessory apparatus are provided. The modular accessory apparatus may include a first modular accessory (referred to hereinafter as a ‘first accessory’) and a second modular accessory (referred to hereinafter as a ‘second accessory’). The first accessory may be attached to a piece of clothing. The second accessory may be configured to be placed on the piece of clothing and coupled to the first accessory.

Various individual pieces of clothing may incorporate the apparatus and method disclosed herein. Exemplary pieces of clothing include socks, leggings, tights, pantyhose, shirts, coats, pants, skirts, boots, scarves and hair accessories. It should be noted that the first accessory may be attached to any location on the piece of clothing suitable for supporting the apparatus of the invention.

The first accessory may be attached to the piece of clothing using one or more methods. For example, the first accessory may be fixedly attached to the piece of clothing, coupled to the piece of clothing, irremovably attached to the piece of clothing, or be an integral part of the piece of clothing.

In some embodiments, the first accessory may be attached to the piece of clothing using methods that enable a user to remove the first accessory from the piece of clothing. For example, the first accessory may be attached to the piece of clothing using one or more buttons, pieces of Velcro, hook-and-loop fasteners, snaps, or any other suitable means.

The first accessory and/or the second accessory may include an inner material and/or an outer design. The outer design may include material sewn on, or attached to, the inner material. The outer design may alternately, or additionally, include one or more designs that are an integral part of the inner material, such as stitching or beading.

In the event that an accessory according to the invention is placed on a piece of clothing, at least a portion of the inner material included in the accessory may be in contact with the piece of clothing. Thus, in some embodiments, the shape of the inner material (referred to alternately hereinafter as the ‘inner shape’) may vary based on the piece of clothing and the location on the piece of clothing on which the accessory will be attached. For example, the inner shape may conform to the contours of the clothing, and/or the portion of the body located under the clothing.

It should be noted that the inner material, the inner shape and/or the outer design of the first accessory may be substantially similar to the inner material, the inner shape and/or outer design of the second accessory. In other embodiments, the inner material, the inner shape and/or the outer design of the first accessory may differ in one or more ways from the inner material, the inner shape and/or the outer design of the second accessory.

For example, in exemplary embodiments, an accessory in accordance with the systems and methods of the invention may be configured to be attached, removably or fixedly, to the bottom of a legging. In some of these embodiments, the inner shape of the accessory may be substantially similar to at least a portion of an elliptical shape, a frusto-conical shape or a cylindrical shape. It should be noted that these shapes may include a partially archuate construction.

The outer design may be attached, permanently or removably, to the accessory. In some embodiments, the outer design may be attached to the outer surface of the inner material of the accessory. In some embodiments, only a portion of the outer design may be attached to the inner material. In some of these embodiments, the portion of the outer design that is not attached to the inner material may extend away from the inner material.

Exemplary outer designs include one or more trims such as ruffles, layers of material, pleated material, gathered material, bows and/or strips of material built around, or fixedly attached to, the structural portion of the accessory such as the inner material. It should be noted that the outer design may include one or more materials, trims, colors, shapes, designs, words, beads, sequins, letters or any other suitable print, embroidery, or style.

A user of the systems and methods of the invention may select one or more second accessories for attachment to a piece of clothing based on a particular style or calendar date. For example, a user may attach red, white and blue accessories to a piece of clothing in honor of Independence Day.

In some embodiments, the outer design of an accessory may include one or more ruffled trims. In some of these embodiments, the top of each ruffle trim may be sewn onto the inner material. For example, the top of each ruffle trim may be sewn around a circumference of the inner material or may be sewn around the inner material using any suitable pattern. A portion of the ruffle trim that is not attached to the inner material may extend away from the accessory.

The inner material and/or the outer design may include one or more flexible materials and/or non-flexible materials. Exemplary flexible materials that may be included in the inner material and/or the outer design of the accessory include elastic, spandex, cotton, polyester, soft material, t-shirt material or other suitable material. The flexible material may include one or more elastics and/or elastic bands. It should be noted that including flexible material in the inner shape and/or the outer design of an accessory may enable the accessory to be stretched, facilitating easy placement of the accessory on the piece of clothing.

Exemplary non-flexible materials that may be included in the inner material and/or the outer design of the accessory include materials such as lace, satin, silk, or any other stiff material.

In some embodiments, the inner material and/or the outer design may be manufactured from machine washable materials.

In some embodiments, the inner material and/or the outer design may include materials that are not washable. For example, the inner material and/or the outer design may be formed from, or include, one or more of a fur trim, balls of fur, rhinestones, stones, leather, beads, or any other non-washable material. It follows that the apparatus of the invention may enable a user to accessorize washable clothing with non-washable material without hindering the user's ability to wash the washable clothing. The user may wash the washable clothing when needed after decoupling the non-washable accessory from the clothing.

The second accessory may be removably coupled to the first accessory. The coupling of the first accessory to the second accessory may maintain, or assist in maintaining, the second accessory in a stationary position with respect to the piece of clothing. In some embodiments, the coupling of the first and second accessory may include the engagement by the top portion of the first accessory with the bottom portion of the second accessory.

In some embodiments, the first accessory and the second accessory may include an outer design. In some of these embodiments, placement of the second accessory in contact with the first accessory may fix the position of the second accessory with respect to the piece of clothing. Additionally, when the second accessory is placed adjacent the first accessory, the bottom of the outer design of the second accessory may overlay the top of the outer design of the first accessory. This may create a continuous design impression, hiding the modular nature of the accessories from a viewer.

In exemplary embodiments, the first accessory and the second accessory may include one or more ruffle trims. The top of each ruffle trim may be sewn around a circumference of, or a portion of, the accessory. A portion of the ruffle trim may extend away from the accessory. In some of these embodiments, placement of the second accessory next to the first accessory may fix the position of the second accessory with respect to the piece of clothing. This may be due, at least in part, to the bottom-most trim on the second accessory laying over the top-most trim on the first accessory. The contact of these two ruffle trims may assist in fixing the position of the second accessory. Additionally, one or more of the ruffle trims included on the second accessory may lay over one or more of the ruffle trims included on the first accessory. This may create a continuous design impression, hiding the modular nature of the accessories from a viewer.

In other embodiments, the second accessory may include an outer design and the first accessory may optionally not include an outer design. In some of these embodiments, placement of the second accessory adjacent to the first accessory may bring the outer design of the second accessory into at least partial physical contact with the first accessory. This contact may assist in the coupling of the first and second accessory.

In yet other embodiments, the second accessory may be attached, removably or fixedly, to the first accessory using Velcro, snaps, glue, hooks, or any other suitable means. In these embodiments, the inner material and/or outer design of the second accessory may be attached in one or more places to the inner material and/or the outer design of the first accessory.

It should be noted that the systems and methods of the invention may include a plurality of additional accessories. In these embodiments, the first accessory may be coupled with a second accessory. A third accessory may then be coupled to the second accessory. This layering may then continue with as many additional accessories as desired.

For example, the invention may comprise three accessories; a first accessory attached to the clothing, a second accessory interlocking with the accessory attached to the clothing and a third interlocking with either of the other two.

In the following description of the various embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration various embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Apparatus in accordance with the principles of the invention may include one or more features of the apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1-7.

FIG. 1 illustrates exemplary apparatus. FIG. 1 illustrates an elevation view of legging 103 and first accessory 101. In this exemplary embodiment, first accessory 101 may be fixedly attached to legging 103 or removably attached to legging 103.

FIG. 2A illustrates additional exemplary apparatus. FIG. 2A illustrates an elevation view of second accessory 202. It should be noted that, in some of the embodiments in which first accessory 101 is removably attached to legging 103, the inner circumference and/or the outer design of first accessory 101 may be substantially similar to the inner circumference and/or the outer design of second accessory 202.

FIG. 2B illustrates additional exemplary apparatus. FIG. 2B illustrates a bottom plan view of second accessory 202.

FIG. 2C illustrates additional exemplary apparatus. FIG. 2C illustrates a top plan view of second accessory 202.

FIG. 2D illustrates additional exemplary apparatus. FIG. 2D illustrates a perspective view of accessory 204. Accessory 204 includes ruffles 208.

Ruffles 208 may comprise the outer design of accessory 204. Ruffles 208 are illustrated in dotted lines to show the inner shape of the inner material of accessory 204. In FIG. 2D, the inner shape is a frusto-conical shape.

FIG. 2E illustrates additional exemplary apparatus. FIG. 2E illustrates a perspective view of accessory 206. Accessory 206 includes ruffles 208.

Ruffles 208 may comprise the outer design of accessory 206. Ruffles 208 are illustrated in dotted lines to show the inner shape of the inner material of accessory 206. In FIG. 2E, the inner shape is substantially similar to a portion of an elliptical shape.

FIG. 2F illustrates additional exemplary apparatus. FIG. 2F illustrates a top plan view of accessory 204. Accessory 204 include ruffles 208. Ruffles 208 are illustrated in dotted lines to show the inner material of accessory 204.

FIG. 2G illustrates additional exemplary apparatus. FIG. 2G illustrates a bottom plan view of accessory 204. Accessory 204 includes ruffles 208. Ruffles 208 are illustrated in dotted lines to show the inner material of accessory 204. In some embodiments, accessory 204 may include elastic 210.

FIG. 3 illustrates additional exemplary apparatus. FIG. 3 illustrates an elevation view of legging 103 and first accessory 101. FIG. 3 additionally illustrates a perspective view of second accessory 202 and third accessory 302.

FIG. 4 illustrates additional exemplary apparatus. FIG. 4 illustrates an elevation view of legging 103, first accessory 101 and second accessory 202. In FIG. 4, second accessory 202 has been placed on legging 103 above first accessory 101.

FIG. 5 illustrates additional exemplary apparatus. FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of legging 103, first accessory 101 and second accessory 202. In FIG. 5, second accessory 202 has been placed close to first accessory 101.

FIG. 6 illustrates additional exemplary apparatus. FIG. 6 illustrates an elevation view of legging 103, first accessory 101 and second accessory 202. In FIG. 6, second accessory 202 has been coupled to first accessory 101. The coupling of second accessory 202 to first accessory 101 may fix the location of second accessory 202 with respect to legging 103. Additionally, the design on the second accessory 202 may overlay the design of first accessory 101, creating a continuous ruffle impression that hides from a viewer the modular nature of the accessories.

FIG. 7 illustrates additional exemplary apparatus. FIG. 7 illustrates an elevation view of legging 103, first accessory 101, second accessory 202 and third accessory 302. In FIG. 7, second accessory 202 is coupled to first accessory 101. Additionally, third accessory 202 is coupled to second accessory 302.

Thus, systems and methods for modular accessory apparatus have been provided. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which are presented for purposes of illustration. 

What is claimed is:
 1. Legging apparatus comprising: a legging; a first accessory fixedly attached to the bottom of the legging, the first accessory including at least a top ruffle sewn around a first circumference of the first accessory and a bottom ruffle sewn around a second circumference of the first accessory; and a second accessory, the second accessory including at least a top ruffle sewn around a first circumference of the second accessory and a bottom ruffle sewn around a second circumference of the second accessory; wherein: the second accessory is configured to be placed on the legging adjacent to the first accessory; and placement of the second accessory on the legging adjacent to the first accessory fixes the location of the second accessory with respect to the legging.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first accessory is fixedly attached to the bottom of the legging using snaps.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first accessory is fixedly attached to the bottom of the legging using hook and loop fasteners.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second accessory is configured to be removably coupled to the first accessory.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a third accessory wherein: the third accessory is configured to be placed on the legging adjacent the second accessory; and placement of the third accessory on the legging adjacent to the second accessory fixes the location of the third accessory with respect to the legging.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second accessory includes rhinestones.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second accessory includes sequins.
 8. Modular apparatus comprising: a piece of clothing; a first accessory removably coupled to the piece of clothing; and a second accessory; wherein: the second accessory is configured to be placed on the piece of clothing adjacent the first accessory; and placement of the second accessory on the piece of clothing adjacent to the first accessory fixes the location of the second accessory with respect to the piece of clothing.
 9. The modular apparatus of claim 8 wherein the piece of clothing is a pair of leggings.
 10. The modular apparatus of claim 8 wherein the piece of clothing is a pair of tights.
 11. The modular apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first accessory is removably coupled to the piece of clothing using hook and loop fasteners.
 12. The modular apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first accessory is removably coupled to the piece of clothing using snaps.
 13. The modular apparatus of claim 8 wherein the second accessory is configured to be removably coupled to the first accessory.
 14. The modular apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a third accessory wherein: the third accessory is configured to be placed on the piece of clothing adjacent the second accessory; and placement of the third accessory on the piece of clothing adjacent to the second accessory fixes the location of the third accessory with respect to the piece of clothing.
 15. The modular apparatus of claim 8 wherein both the first accessory and the second accessory include an inner material and an outer design.
 16. The modular apparatus of claim 15 wherein the outer design is ruffles stitched onto the inner material.
 17. The modular apparatus of claim 15 wherein the outer design is sequins fixedly attached to the inner material.
 18. The modular apparatus of claim 15 wherein the outer design is stitching stitched onto the inner material.
 19. The modular apparatus of claim 15 wherein the second accessory includes non-washable material. 